The Christian Ghetto

". . .[P]ietism tended to create a 'Christian ghetto' that the Reformation had attempted to dismantle. Called out of the church into the world, evangelicals were again encouraged, especially through the revivalism of the last century-and-a-half, to help build a Christian empire within America. Eventually, we came to the place where we had our own networks, movies, talk shows, cruises, rock stars, entertainers, and other trappings of modern hedonism, without having to bother leaving the ghetto. We called it evangelism, and perhaps we even intended it to be evangelism, but it has ended up only creating a church that is of the world but not in it, instead of being in the world but not of it.

Therefore, we often judge our spiritual health in terms of how many people are involved with small groups, Bible studies, prayers circles, and accountability groups; and we are led by the statistics to conclude that we are actually quite vigorous. But Reformation Christianity (i.e., biblical Christianity) should lead us to different standards for judging health: Is the church truly being the church? That is to ask, Is the Word rightly preached? Are the sacraments rightly administered? And is there a healthly concern for the practice of church discipline and good order? If those questions cannot be answered with any degree of confidence, there is not health, regardless of the bustling activity in the ghetto." Horton, Michael, Where in the World is the Church, 141-142 (2000).